


Found Flame

by NeonFlower



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Adopted Children, Family Fluff, M/M, family au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 17:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20915570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonFlower/pseuds/NeonFlower
Summary: Two months have passed since the world was rid of the Promare. As Lio Fotia adapts to being a firefighter, his life suddenly takes an unexpected turn, throwing him for loop. Galo offers his help as the two tackle fatherhood together while also trying to figure out how one feels for the other. However, two discover that the child they've taken in has an ability once thought to have been eradicated from the world...





	1. Chapter 1

Two months.

Two months had passed since the world had been saved from the Promare.

It’s almost felt like to a dream to Lio. A dream that he thought he’d never see come true. Yet, here he was, someone who was free. His people were free. They could lead their lives without that fear of being hunted.

Yet, there was still much to be done. Promepolis was in shambles, much of the city having been destroyed by the massive spaceship. They no longer trusted the man that had committed it all, Kray Foresight. And rightfully so, he had done unspeakable things to the Burnish. His crimes had quickly led to an arrest, and that led to life in prison. A highly guarded prison, with little access to the outside world. He was no longer the governor, but a criminal against humanity.

With him locked away, the people could properly start anew.

But with much of the city destroyed, people needed help. And that help was in the form of Burning Rescue. The valiant team of firefighters who put down their lives to save people from the Burnish. But now, with the Promare gone, they valued themselves as normal firefighters, just with the additional buff of mechs.

Still, they were working around the clock.

And so was Lio Fotia. He joined the team after saving the world with one of their rookie firemen, Galo Thymos. It was only right that he was there to aid them. Sided by his own friends, Gueira and Meis, the three ex-Burnish men were quickly welcomed into the group. Even if it wasn’t a proper ignoration, they were also given the Burning Rescue’s uniform. Without a home to go to yet, they stayed at the station temporarily.

_This_ felt like a home though.

Despite cleaning efforts taking a lot of the team’s time up, there were times where they could catch a break. Or were forced to by their Fire Chief, Ignis Ex.

Today was one of those days. After a solid forty-nine hours of work, Ignis sat the whole team down and forced them to take the day off. They all stayed in the station however, because they _really_ didn’t want to go home. Plus, they wanted to keep the three ex-Burnish men some company.

Lio sat on one of the couches, staying silent as he watched the others. Lucia typed away at her computer as Vinny munched on whatever snack he got his paws on, Aina was maybe the only one relaxing as she laid on one of the beds with her earbuds in. Remi ‘s attention was focused doing some kind of paperwork, furiously scribbling nonsense on his clipboard. Varys, Gueira, and Meis were all focused on a video game.

“Agghhh I really want to get back out there!” Galo was complaining next to him, seemingly having endless energy when it involved saving other people.

“And Chief said no,” Remi side panned, not even bothering to look up from his paperwork. Galo whined again, and Lio scoffed.

“We’ll be able to get back at it tomorrow, this stuff is going to take time y’know,” Lio poked the man in the side and Galo flinched, rubbing his side. He grumbled before sitting back with his arms crossed. Lio side-eyed him, but didn’t say anything further. He kept his gaze on Galo though, eyeing every small feature on his shoulders, neck, face, lips-

Lio broke his gaze away the moment he realized what he was doing. He felt his face heat up, which he would welcome in any other situation because he truly did miss the heat of the Promare,_ but not right now._

So, what if he had grown to like the blue-haired idiot?

With everything else going on though, anything like that wasn’t an option right now.

Or, so he thought.

Suddenly, alarms started going off, startling the team.

_“An emergency?” _Lio gritted his teeth before hopping up. Galo all but hopped out of his skin he was up so fast, ready for anything. Despite this, everybody was up and slipping on their uniforms without a moment’s hesitation. Lucia hopped into the main vehicle where the control panel for the mechs was located, the three Burnish men seated behind her. Aina had taken to a new motorcycle designed by Lucia while Galo, Remi, and Varys hopped into their mechs. Ignis was already ahead of them.

“What’s the status report, Lucia?” Ignis came over the radio and the young woman typed away at the keypad.

“Bad news boss, seems like an apartment complex has caught fire, and there’s still missing persons,” Lucia replied, a live showing of said building appearing on the massive screen in front of her. Lio’s hands tightened against his arms.

This was not a Burnish fire. This was a normal fire, but was still just as powerful and _deadly. _

Unlike the Promare however, normal fire could not be controlled in any way. It was a wild flame, a blaze that only burned and destroyed. The apartment complex was blazed in red flames, black smoke billowing out into the evening skies above.

“Galo, Remi, Varys, you know what to do,” Ignis came over the radio again. The three of them had mechs designed for them, which enabled them to fight fires or other emergencies head on. The three burnish men were still waiting on the finalization of their own mechs from Lucia, so they aided in any other way they could.

“Lio,” Ignis called to him.

“Yes sir?” Lio was quick to respond.

“Help the survivors, tend to any injuries until paramedics arrive,” Ignis inquired.

“Ay sir,” Lio responded before looking to Gueira and Meis. The two of them nodded. The team came upon the blazed building, burning brightly like a torch in the night.

Tonight, was the first fire the Burnish did not create themselves.

The mechs went into action immediately, wasting no time to enter the building and find survivors. The streets outside were crowded with evacuated tenants, all watching as their homes burned. Lio’s heart sunk at the mere thought, but he brushed the feeling off and leaped off the main vehicle. He ran to those that looked like they needed assistance, Gueira and Meis doing the same. Ignis was at a nearby hydrant, ensuring the mechs got enough water supply while inside. Aina was at another, using a massive hose to spray down any flames that were outside. Lucia kept an eye on the status of the mechs and the men in them.

Within minutes, an ambulance arrived. Lio alerted them to those that needed aid, before continuing to those that had not been checked. Thanks to the help of the mechs, the fire was extinguished within fifteen minutes, Remi exited the building with those that were trapped. Galo and Varys exited last, all three men covered in various amounts of soot and ash but otherwise okay. Tenants were mostly unharmed, with some only having minor injuries thanks to Burning Rescue.

Black clouds of smoke filled the night sky, the building itself was nothing but a shell, much of it having been burned away. Lio watched, entranced by it all, feeling a sense of loss as he could no longer create flames himself. Still, they saved people today-

_A chime._

_A ring of a bell._

_The cries of a child._

Lio stopped, frozen in place as the noise filled his ears. It was faint, but also loud. It overwhelmed all his nerves, his heart, his lungs. It was a familiar noise, something he could only grasp at.

A spark of fire.

_There was still someone in there. Someone in trouble._

Without a second thought, he sprinted towards the entrance of the building.

“Oi! Lio?! Where are you going?!” Galo called out to him, noticing the smaller man run into the building. Fearing for his life, Galo ran after him. The others called after him but he ignored them.

_What the hell are you up to now? _Galo could only imagine so many scenarios. Did he sense something?

“Lio!” Galo called out to him, and suddenly got blinded by the glare of a flashlight from around the corner.

“What the hell are you doing?” Galo asked but Lio said nothing, gasping for air in the thick smoke-filled halls. Galo pulled a oxygen mask out, giving it to Lio.

“There’s someone trapped in here,” Lio muttered through his mask.

“Eh? But we already got everybody out-“

“Are you sure about that?” Lio cut him off, his eyes sharp. Galo blinked, but said nothing more. With no other response, Lio whipped around and continued through the blackened building.

“O-Oi! Lio!” Galo followed after him. Lio was pacing quickly, not wanting to waste another moment of this person’s life. The chime rung louder, the cries of the child growing stronger. Soon, he stopped before a staircase with fallen rubble on one side. Lio stepped forward but Galo grabbed his arm.

“Don’t. It’s not safe,” Galo warned him.

“Their safety over mine,” Lio wrung his arm out of Galo’s hand and continued forward. Galo stammered, watching as the smaller man made his way up carefully. Having no choice and not wanting to be left in the dark, Galo followed suit, stepping carefully.

By the second floor, Galo understood what Lio meant now. The hollowing cries of a child, a baby. How Lio knew this, Galo could not figure out. Lio moved towards the room the crying child could be heard in, stepping before a shut door. He tried to open it but the door was blocked, rubble on the other side. He tried slamming it, but to no avail.

“Step aside,” Galo pushed him out of the way, before attempting the same thing. It didn’t open.

A second, a third.

By the fourth attempt the door had opened slightly, just enough for Lio to slip in.

The room was blackened like the rest of the apartment complex, with some small flames still lingering here and there. They were harmless though, Lio fixating his eyes on the spark. He shook his head, continuing into the apartment, shining his flashlight towards the direction of the baby’s screams.

His heart dropped.

He could hear Galo pushing against the door more, allowing enough space for him to slip in.

“So where is the bab-“

“Galo,” Lio was all he could muster to say. Galo went quiet, looking where the flashlight shined.

Laying there amongst the soot and ash, a woman lay there. Within her arms cried a small baby. Lio stepped forward, almost in a trance and went to grab the child. Suddenly the woman moved, but only slightly. She rasped, her eyes opening enough to see them. She gave a small smile.

_“…Th-thyma…” _She wheezed before sinking back down, eyes closing. Galo went into rescue mode immediately.

“Ma’am? Ma’am, stay with me!” He knelt down next to her. Lio bent down as well, grabbing the baby from within her arms. Tucking the small child within his jacket, he looked to Galo solemnly. He knew it was too late. She was burned in various places of her body and she could no longer fight it. She put herself up against the flames to protect her child.

Galo’s shoulder sunk as he realized she was gone.

“Dammit…” He murmured under his breath. Feeling that it was only respectful for her, Galo picked the woman up bridal style and looked to Lio.

“Let’s go,”

As they exited the room, her words replayed in Lio’s head.

_Thyma._

* * *

Aina perked up the moment she saw the two of them exit the building. But she stopped short upon noticing Galo carrying somebody.

They all knew.

It was the hardest part of this job.

Sometimes, one could only do so much.

Galo placed her down onto the pavement, allowing a paramedic to look her over. Lio had walked over to the ambulance, revealing the child to another. In the clear lights of the back of the ambulance, the infant was mostly covered in soot and ash, but otherwise okay. She was somewhat calmer now, but her breathing still had a wheeze to it. The paramedic was quick to supply her with an IV drip and oxygen mask.

“We’re going to take her to the hospital, does she have a parent?” The lady looked at Lio.

“No,” Lio didn’t bother looking up at her. His focus was on the child as he brushed his hand against her tiny palm. Suddenly understanding, the lady nodded.

“How is the child?” Galo was suddenly at the doors of the ambulance, ever so curious despite everything. The paramedic explained the infant’s situation to him before Galo nodded.

“I’m going then,” Galo announced as he hopped in.

“W-What?” Lio snapped his head up at the man. Galo gave him a sad smile.

“Chief already knows,” Galo pointed to the team in the background and Lio caught a glimpse of Ignis nodding. Galo sat himself next to Lio, peering at the infant.

“I’m assuming you’re also tagging along?” The paramedic turned to Lio.

“Yes, I am,” Lio replied, his voice cracking. The paramedic smiled sadly at both of them before hopping off the back of the ambulance and shutting the doors.

“So… what’s going to happen to this baby?” Galo asked, eying Lio.

“I’m adopting her,”

_“EH?!” _


	2. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lio reveals something important to the rest of the Burning Rescue.

Lio never liked hospitals. The air was sour, the atmosphere was never pleasant. The only reason he was even here was for the baby.

Both him and Galo sat in a room in emergency while a nurse overlooked the infant. Galo was still pretty stunned at his earlier statement, but Lio gave his reasoning. The mother wanted her name to not be forgotten. Unfortunately, the child had no other family according to hospital records. The baby’s father was out of the picture completely. 

Galo huffed next to him as the nurse left the room for a few minutes.

“Well, I’ll give you this much, she is cute,” Galo commented as he leaned forward and brushed a single finger against the child’s cheek. She squirmed before falling back to sleep. The infant had some breathing problems due to the smoke she had inhaled, but she otherwise had a clean bill of health.

“Yeah,” Lio murmured, smiling.

A pause.

“Hey Lio…” Galo leaned back, looking to him.

“What’s your thoughts on moving into my apartment?” Galo gave him a cheeky smile, and Lio blinked.

“Huh?”

“Well, you’ll need a place to stay to raise her, right?” It felt like Galo had said that very quickly, as he lifted an arm and started scratching the back of his head. Lio noticed how red Galo’s face was.

“Hm, I guess you’re right,” Lio looked back at the infant. Raising her at the station wasn’t a very suitable environment, with the loud noises and the plethora of dangerous things she could get into.

Silence overtook the room, and it was absolutely killing Galo.

Two months since they saved the world.

Two months since he saved Lio.

He found himself thinking of the smaller man a lot as each day passed. He found himself hanging out with Lio a lot. To think that Lio started out as his enemy, but gradually turned into a friend. This felt like some sort of fairytale.

Enemies to Lovers-

Galo’s brain stopped as he caught himself.

Lovers…

Did he really see Lio like that?

Galo thought back to that moment, when Lio’s life had been drained and the only way to save him was to give him mouth-to-mouth CPR to replenish his fire. But lord, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He told nobody about it, because who needed to know. It always bugged him if Lio remembered any of it. He didn’t have it in him to just up and ask though. He might’ve been the idiot that saved the world, but he wasn’t stupid.

Galo simply accepted that Lio just didn’t like him like that. So, Galo would just need to move on.

But now…

Galo drew his gaze to the infant in the hospital bed. Her small frame moved faintly as she breathed. According to records, she was barely two weeks old. Losing her mother so early in her life would be catastrophic to her well being, but Galo always held hope. If she was able to survive that fire, then she could fight. Her situation reminded him of his young self. Losing his family to a fire…

Still, he felt somewhat responsible for her now. Letting Lio live with him so that the child had a safer place to live and flourish. He didn’t mind at all; he was finding himself get quite attached to her the more and more they were with her.

His thoughts snapped away when the nurse entered the room again. Both men perked as she went to check the child’s vitals.

“She’ll have to stay here for a couple days unfortunately. She’s still very young, and to have this kind lung problem could be fatal to her,” The nurse explained to the two of them. Galo could sense Lio’s spirit drop a little.

“You’re more than free to stay with her though, we don’t mind,” She then opened up the possibility but Galo was quick to stop Lio before he got any ideas.

“Ah thank you so much, but we have some things we need to work out so we’ll just come back tomorrow,” Galo cut off Lio, raising an arm in front of the smaller man. Galo didn’t even have to look at him to know he was glaring daggers; he could feel them.

“That’s not a problem,” The nurse smiled, noticing how thick the air got between the two of them before making her leave out of the room. Once she was gone, Lio whipped his head back at Galo.

“Why did you do that? Don’t you want to stay with her?” Lio growled under his breath.

“Don’t you want to be at least a little bit prepared to bring her home?” Galo snapped back and Lio’s face fell.

Galo knew he was right−for once. Plus, he wanted to shower. He still had soot and ash covered his uniform and parts of his body and it was becoming a bit of a bother. Galo stood up, easily towering over Lio.

“Come on, let’s at least get you settled into my place,” Galo stated, and Lio blinked before sighing and getting up. He walked next to the hospital bed, so large for her tiny and frail body. Brushing a hand against hers, she grabbed his index finger and tightened her grip. It was small but Lio felt that she could fight this.

“Hehe she’s got some fight in her,” Galo commented.

On their way out, they thanked the staff that helped take care of the child before taking their leave out of the hospital. It was a cool and crisp night, Lio didn’t mind the walk back to the station where everybody was probably waiting to hear news.

The walk was mostly quiet, but Galo always had to break the silence.

“You going to keep her original name?” He asked, peering over to Lio.

“Of course, it was what her mother wanted at least,” Lio responded. Galo hummed. The silence came back, but the air felt thick this time. Galo could sense Lio was thinking about the child’s mother, how he couldn’t do anything to save her. How he himself couldn’t save her. Galo knew Lio had seen enough death in his lifetime, but he also knew Lio was probably hoping that it wouldn’t happen anymore after the Promare left.

Regardless, it was the reality of being a firefighter. Sometimes, things just didn’t work out.

“Thyma…” Lio muttered and Galo glanced at him.

“Thyma… Fotia,” Lio continued and Galo felt like his heart snapped in half.

_Shit, that was actually cute._

Galo almost tripped over himself because his brain was too busy trying to process what Lio had just said. Lio stopped and looked at him.

“I’m alright!” Galo reassured, hands on his knees as he tried regaining his composure. Lio blinked.

“Come on! We’re almost to the station!” Galo hopped up suddenly and walked ahead of him, leaving Lio to watch.

Did… Galo hear him?

Despite his rising heartrate, Lio let out a breath before going after Galo.

* * *

Upon arriving at the station, both Galo and Lio were bombarded by the entire team minus Ignis, who sat in the back. They wanted to know everything about this baby and why Lio and Galo had bothered to stay with her for so long.

“I’m adopting her,” Lio deadpanned as he took his coat off. A chorus of shocked cries rang out.

“Boss?!” Gueira and Meis exclaimed in unison.

“And what brought this on exactly?” Aina questioned him, crossing her arms.

“Well, she’s cute,” Galo cut in.

“_All_ babies are cute, Galo,” Aina retorted. Lio stayed silent for a moment longer.

“She’s a Burnish,” Lio’s reply left the room silent for much longer than it needed to be.

“W-Wait _WHAT?!_ You didn’t tell me this!” Galo’s snapped his head back at Lio, his face twisted in shock.

“I don’t have a reason to tell you, but I didn’t want to panic any of the hospital staff,” Lio replied as he made his way to the couch.

“How can you tell?” Remi then asked.

“It’s how I was able to find her. I was essentially the leader of the Burnish for a long while, and Burnish often give off distress signals when they’re in danger to those stronger. My status as a leader allows me to sense these things. However…” Lio stopped.

“If the Promare were eradicated from this world, how is she still a Burnish?” Galo piped in and Lio’s sharp eyes looked up at him and then everyone else.

“It’s only a theory, but she might’ve had the Promare flame within her, but had been dormant until she was born,” Lio responded.

“And the nurse said she was about two weeks old…” Galo trailed off.

“Regardless, I’m going to fight for her because of this, so that another couple or family does not get startled by her when her flame does activate. At this stage, she is too young. I’m going to be her father and teach her to control her flame,” Lio explained and the rest of the team agreed upon this.

“Then we’ll fight for her too,” Aina chimed in. Galo and Lio looked at her.

“As will we,” Guiera said and Meis nodded. Lio smiled.

“Thank you,”

* * *

“I apologize if the place is a bit of mess,” Galo talked as the two of them walked up the stairs to his apartment complex. After gathering his own belongings, the two decided to get settled into Galo’s apartment. The rest of the team poked fun at Galo for such a suggestion but hastily agreed upon his reasoning.

“I don’t mind,” Lio replied. Galo realized that was a bit of stupid comment as Lio probably hadn’t been in a proper place to live in a long time. Anywhere that felt like a home would be a warm welcome to Lio. Fidgeting with his keys, he unlocked the door and set some of Lio’s bags down. Lio entered soon after, getting hit with a sense of a musky fragrance.

When Galo turned on a light, Lio got a good look at the small apartment. It was certainly small, with a tiny kitchen only able to hold a mini-fridge, a stove-top, a microwave and a few cabinets. The living room was also small, having a couch and a television stand with a wide screen TV.

“Unfortunately, I only have one bedroom, so you’ll have to sleep on the couch,” Galo entered the main area again, now stripped of his dirty clothes and only wearing night pants.

“It’s okay,” Despite the small size, Lio hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. This place felt… quaint.

Comforting.

Warm.

Someplace to call home.

“I hadn’t realized how late it is, but you hungry?” Galo turned to the clock on the wall. Already ten at night, and now that he had mentioned it, Lio’s stomach growled as if on que. Lio looked away, embarrassed.

“Hehe, I’ll take that as a yes. Up for some pizza?” Galo’s eyes lit up.

Lio smiled.

“Sure,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)

**Author's Note:**

> PHEW It's been a hot minute since I've written anything. Promare decided to just go and ruin my life, and since I'm that AU kinda bitch, we goin' full in with that family au bullshit yall.


End file.
